during the siege, set out towards the Place de la Bastille but having been met on their way by some of their officers, they soon separated themselves from the rioters.  Thirty of them had been invited to an open-air banquet in the Place de la Bastille; but seeing the probability of some disorder they nearly all retired, and on the following morning only eight of them were missing at the roll-call.  Not one of the six thousand marines lodged in the barracks of the Ecole Militaire absented himself.  On the same day, the 28th, a secret society, which we learned later to know and to fear, issued its first circular under the name of the Central Committee of the National Guard; the part since played by this body has been too important for us to omit to insert this proclamation here:  its decisions became official acts which overthrew all constituted authority.

    “CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF THE NATIONAL GUARD.

    “Citizens,—­

“The general feeling of the population appears to be to offer no opposition to the entry of the Prussians into Paris.  The Central Committee, which had emitted contrary advice, declares its intention of adhering to the following resolutions:—­

“’All around the quarters occupied by the enemy, barricades shall be raised so as to isolate completely that part of the town.  The inhabitants of the circumscribed portion should be required to quit it immediately.

“’The National Guard, in conjunction with the army, shall form an unbroken line along the whole circuit, and take care that the enemy, thus isolated upon ground which is no longer of our city, shall communicate in no manner with any of the other parts of Paris.

“’The Central Committee engages the National Guard to lend, its aid for the execution of the necessary measures to bring about this result, and to avoid any aggressive acts which would have the immediate effect of overthrowing the Republic."’

But here is a little treacherous placard, manuscript and anonymous, which takes a much fairer tone:—­

    “A convention has permitted the Prussians to occupy the Champs
    Elysees, from the Seine to the Faubourg St. Honore, and as far as
    the Place de la Concorde.

    “Be it so!  The greater the injury, the more terrible the revenge.

“But, if some panderer dare to pass the circle of our shame, let him be instantly declared traitor, let him become a target for our balls, an object for our petroleum, a mark for our Orsini bombs,[2] an aim for our daggers!

    “Let this be told to all.

    “By decision of the Horatii,

    “(Signed) POPULUS.”